Where To Q
What explains Carlos Queiroz’s extraordinary decision to go public on United’s failure to offer him a new contract?
The coach admitted that his current deal has six months to run. But to date, United have still to propose an extension.
“In June my deal finishes and it will have been three years for me,” Queiroz revealed. “Whether I stay or not depends on the decision of Alex and the new owners. Also I may decide to leave the club for other projects. I wait to accept a big project. Initially I left Portugal for six months and now it has been 11 years. I have still not received a spectacular project for me to reject the option (of returning to Portugal).”
Queiroz’s comments are the publication of his Curriculum Vitae by any other name. Cleverly, he raises the pressure on his current employer to signal its intentions by alerting those in possession of a “spectacular project” to make contact.
This is not the first time that the United coach has publicly touted himself for work. Last May, when speculation was rife that he was under consideration for the Benfica job, Queiroz said: “Benfica is a fantastic institution that has a lot of prestige. But at this point, it’s difficult for me to decline the responsibilities that I have with the club I currently work for.” The Mozambique-born coach was not offered the Benfica post but his name was swiftly linked with the job of team manager for the United States of America. Famously, Luiz Scolari accused the United coach of assiduously bringing himself to the attention of the decision-makes among Portuguese football’s top brass, in the hope that he might be called home. “It seems he is trying to return to the Portuguese national team, where I am coach,” Scolari said. “He is working on it in the mass media.”
Despite the loveless relationship Queiroz enjoys with United fans, who blame him for the regressive sterility of his second spell at the club, following a traumatic year away in Madrid, the assistant manager is a highly-regarded, man of substance in football. His record is impressive. Queiroz has vast international experience, having worked in Europe, Japan, the Middle East and Africa and is revered for discovering Portugal’s “golden generation” of great players such as Figo, Rui Costa , Joao Pinto and Jorge Costa.
Queiroz’s arrival at United in 2002 was instrumental in helping Sir Alex to recapture the Premiership title the following year. This led to him being headhunted for the ill-fated coaching post at Real Madrid. Queiroz’s strong relationship with Sir Alex has led to whispers that he is now the ‘power behind the throne,’ which Ryan Giggs did much to confirm two years ago, when he revealed that it was Queiroz who organised training and tactics.
So, it is curious indeed that, at a time when United are ascendant, gunning for glory and beloved far and wide for the beauty of their attacking football, the team coach should find himself in professional limbo. Why are talks not already underway to tie down a highly respected coach whom, it is said, enjoys a close bond with the team’s star performer Cristiano Ronaldo? Why should risks be taken with United’s prospects of future success by making the first team coach fear that he is so under-appreciated that he must advertise his availability for other jobs?
The answers to these questions lie with Sir Alex and the behind the scenes plotting and calculations that have taken place since the manager rescinded his decision to retire in 2002. In that time, United have lost Steve McClaren, Rene Meulensteen, Ricky Srbagia and Francisco Filho from the coaching staff, in circumstances that still warrant explanation. Did these men go with the blessing of a thankful manager to realise their potential elsewhere or were they released as part of a cull? Could Queiroz be next?
In truth, Queiroz’s track record always made him an unlikely number two. Perhaps, his return to United in 2004 was in part, an appreciation of the safe haven that is Old Trafford but also an informed wager that the “inside man” was best placed to succeed an ageing football warhorse, said to be “past his sell-by date.” Sir Alex’s renaissance and his conviction to go on and on at the Old Trafford helm, may have convinced the 53 year old that he has just one last shot at the big time and that his chances of inheriting the United crown have receded greatly.
Yet, only in part does this explain United’s apparent tardiness regarding Queiroz’s contract. Ferguson’s own rolling 12 month deal does complicate the matter, installing a potentially ruinous short-termism at the club. Bizarrely, United could claim the Premiership title in six months time and find themselves looking to replace the coach who helped to make it happen.
Sir Alex’s zest for the new team he is creating, suggests an energised manager determined to enjoy the fruits of Ronaldo, Rooney, Vidic et al long into the future. For that, he will need trusted and capable lieutenants around him. How would jettisoning a talented and winning coach square with such ambition? Could it be that the current failure to further contract talks is calculated on the part of United’s power-brokers. With one eye on the succession, are the Glazers and Sir Alex intent on thinning the coaching ranks so that the new man can bring in his own team? AU
READ : The Succession
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